In war-torn Yemen, business booms for Seiyoun

Many injured fighters from the northern Jawf and Marib provinces have come to seek treatment at hospitals in Seiyoun.

Gulf News, Seiyoun — In a small city tucked deep inside Yemen’s Hadramout province, business is booming as Yemenis from all over the country come here to escape the war.

Seiyoun is the second largest city in the province of Hadramout after Al Mukalla, which has been recently liberated from Al Qaida control by the Saudi-led Arab coalition who is fighting a two-pronged war against the terrorists and Iran-backed Al Houthi militants.

A receptionist at a local hotel tells Gulf News that occupancy has never been as high as now.

“Occupancy has never been this high since 2011 (Yemen’s Arab Spring uprising) when many foreign tourists stopped coming to Seiyoun,” he said, while requesting not to be named.

The recent escalation of violence peaked early last year when Saudi Arabia led a coalition of allied Arab countries to militarily blunt Al Houthis rapid expansionism.

Nearly all major cities have been directly affected either by Al Houthis fierce clashes with government forces or heavy bombardment by the coalition’s warplanes.

Other cities were overrun by the local branch of the Al Qaida militant group.

For hotel owners in Seiyoun, however, the bloody conflict is a blessing in disguise.

The receptionist said many injured fighters from the northern Jawf and Marib provinces have come to seek treatment at hospitals in Seiyoun.